After police academy, Matt Grice expecting UFC return in early 2009

Matt Grice, a UFC lightweight who recently put his fighting career on hold to attend his local police academy, has graduated from the program and plans to return to the UFC in early 2009.

Grice (9-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC), a former University of Oklahoma wrestler, hasn’t fought since October 2007 and will likely take a warm-up fight in a smaller organization before his return to the octagon, Scott Newell, Grice’s manager, today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

“The UFC has granted him the ability to take a tune-up fight locally to help knock the rust off after the 13-month layoff,” Newell said. “Then, they have told him, that as soon as he is ready to just let them know and they will have him a fight.”

Grice, who attended OU on a full wrestling scholarship (but saw limited activity because of injuries sustained in a car accident), debuted in April 2007 at UFC 70, where he faced a patient Terry Etim. Grice was shot out of a canon at the opening bell, displaying the type of strength and speed that made him a rare four-time state wrestling champion in high school.

His ground and pound was relentless, but after returning to their feet, Etim locked in a standing guillotine choke that Grice barely survived. He wasn’t as lucky a few seconds later; Etim was successful on the second attempt and forced the tap-out.

Grice, though, returned six months later to face highly touted PRIDE veteran Jason Black. The back-and-forth bout was initially ruled a draw, but after a recount, it was determined that Grice had actually earned the decision win. The 27-year-old picked up a $40,000 Fight of the Night bonus for the effort.

Soon after the victory, though, Grice spoke to UFC Vice President of Talent Relations Joe Silva. He had a request; the new and proud father of a baby girl had been accepted into the Oklahoma City Police Department academy, and thinking about his longtime future, Grice wanted to enter the nearly year-long program to become a police officer.

Silva and the UFC obliged, and a scheduled fight with Gray Maynard in January was scratched so Grice could pursue his new career.

“He is still under contract,” Newell said. “[They just] froze it until he completed his job requirements.”

Graduation from the policy academy came in July, and his additional training will tie him up until next month. But the law enforcer could be in the cage by year’s end and back in the UFC early next year.

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